


Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

by baloobird



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Molestation, Protective Tony Stark, Sexual Assault, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, it's not graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 11:46:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17446373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baloobird/pseuds/baloobird
Summary: An old friend of May's is back in town.He seems like a nice guy...but Peter gets a first look into who this guy really is.





	Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

**Author's Note:**

> It's not graphic, but please read the tags and be careful!

Skip Westcott is back in town.

He is an old friend of May and Ben's from college who moved out of state not long after they all graduated. When Skip tells May that he’s in town and moving back permanently, she got so excited that she invites him over for dinner to catch up.

While prepping for dinner, May talks non-stop about the crazy shenanigans that Ben and Skip would get into. Peter let out snort after giggle at each of her stories; he'll never get tired of hearing her talk about Ben.

Peter is actually looking forward to meeting this “Skip” dude. He already feels like he knows him despite not knowing what he looks like.

However, Peter's spidey sense goes off when he introduces himself and shakes Skip's hand.

 _Possible danger_.

That's weird...maybe his sense is wrong this time? If he's friends with May and Ben, then surely he's a good guy, right?

Right?

-

The dinner goes off without a hitch. Skip seems like a really nice guy. He's so animated in the way he talks about his life post-college and how he met his wife. He and May reminisce about their other college buddies, parties, and the like. But May spends a lot of the conversation bragging about Peter with his grades, internship at Stark Industries, and the decathlon team, just to name a few, making her nephew’s cheeks flush in embarrassment.

“Aunt Maaaaaay….”

“Sweetie, don’t be so modest. Those things deserve to be bragged about.”

Peter does appreciate that Skip seems to be interested, “So, you’re like the ‘Einstein’ of the family, huh?”

“Well, I-I wouldn’t go _that_ far-”

May cuts him off, “Yes, oh my goodness, Einstein himself would be impressed.”

Peter’s cheeks get redder and he lightly bangs his head on the table, “Oh my God, please stop.”

But May and Skip are just cackling away, and Peter can’t help but join in.

Everything is going great; Peter likes that May now has another friend in town - she doesn’t have many. But the teen's spidey sense is still lingering at a dull roar, so he can't help but be a little cautious.

At the end of the night, Skip is about to call an Uber, but May is adamantly against it.

“Skip, why spend twenty bucks on a ride when I have a perfectly capable, licensed nephew who can take you home for free?”

Peter jerks his head up at that comment. God, he hates being put on the spot for stuff like this. He really doesn’t want to drive Skip back, but he also doesn’t want to come off as being impolite.

Peter confirms the offer, “Y-Yeah, I can take you home, it’s not a big deal.”

Skip responds, “You sure, Einstein? I really don’t mind calling an Uber.”

“No, no, it’s completely okay. I mean...I’ll take up any excuse to drive.”

That statement is true, he does love the newfound freedom in driving...just not at this particular moment.

“Great! Thanks so much, man.”

Skip gives Peter a pat on the back as they exit the apartment and the teen feels a tingling, almost burning sensation in that spot. He knows it’s his sense going off once more, but again, he chooses to ignore it.

After goodbyes, plans to come again, and a “Be careful, sweetie” from May, Peter leads Skip down to the parking garage and they get in the car.

-

At the start of the twenty-minute drive, Skip breaks the ice, "So, you got a girlfriend?"

"Nope."

"You looking for one?"

"Nah, not really. I'm not in a hurry. I just like being around friends and family."

Skip nods his head in agreeance, "Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay, okay, gotcha."

Peter's sense bristles again and he gives Skip a nervous side glance. Why is this guy acting weird all of a sudden?

They just passed through a green light when Skip does something that Peter never expected he would do in a million years.

He grabs Peter's crotch.

Peter is so shocked that he swerves on the road. He quickly pulls Skip's hand off of him, "Whoa, what the fuck are you doing?!"

Skip just uses his other hand to cup Peter again. He gives the teen a look of something like lust. "Ever had sex before, Einstein?"

Peter is flailing and struggling with keeping Skip's hands off of him while also keeping a hand on the steering wheel. 

Peter's shouts are in pure shock and embarrassment, "That is none of your fucking business!"

Skip just smirks in amusement, "So that's a ‘no,’ huh? Don't worry, Petey, I'll teach you _everything_ you need to know."

"What the - NO! Get away from me, _please_!"

Peter continues to use his right hand to try and fend off Skip, but the pervert has the advantage of having both hands free against Peter's one.

The next time Skip cups him he squeezes. Peter winces in pain and swerves to the middle of the road. He hears a car horn being blown beside him.

Skip lets out a laugh that isn't at all friendly, "Better keep your eyes on the road there, Petey."

Peter again pulls Skip's hand out of his grasp, "Get the ever-living _fuck_ off of me!"

Skip just switches hands and squeezes again, "Whatcha gonna do about it, Einstein? Huh? Huh?"

Peter whimpers in pain and looks up in utter disbelief. He can't believe this. Skip's not only not listening, but he's also not caring. This sick fuck looks like he's actually _enjoying_ this.

Peter struggles against him for the rest of the ride to Skip's house and his fear of what may happen when he parks the car increases the closer he gets.

What will happen when the car stops?

Nothing. _Nothing_ will happen.

He'd rather die than have it be any other outcome. 

The teen is mentally preparing himself for the worst as he drives down Skip's road. He's still struggling against the piece of shit until they're in his driveway. 

When Peter parks, he says a silent “thank you” to all the gods in Asgard that "Parker luck" is finally on his side: Skip's wife is sitting on the front porch swing reading a book under an outside light. When she hears the car pull up, she looks up and gives them both a friendly wave.

Peter is trembling; he didn't realize it until he parked. He can't even work up the courage to look directly at his attacker.

Because that's who this guy is to him now.

His _attacker_.

Skip says one last thing to Peter before he gets out of the car, "I had fun tonight, Einstein; you sure know how to play 'hard-to-get.' Let's consider this...'our little secret,' what d'ya say?"

The freak doesn't wait for a response. He gets out of the car and heads over to his wife, but not before sneaking a wink at the teenager.

Peter backs out of the driveway as fast as possible and doesn't acknowledge any waves of goodbye.

The spiderling pulls into the parking lot of a nearby grocery store. He's been parked for all of two seconds before he opens his car door and throws up his dinner.

When he's done, he tries to sit still and calm down.

_What the fuck just happened?_

He can't wrap his mind around it. He remembers every detail, but it's a complete blur at the same time.

Skip touched him. Skip touched him, and he didn't like it. He said no. Skip touched him. Skip didn't listen. Skip touched him. It was degrading and painful.

_Skip touched him._

The trembling has intensified and all the walls start crashing down. The shock is wearing off and he finds himself having a hard time breathing.

_Breathe, Parker, breathe._

He tries to use his knowledge on panic attacks to prevent this one from fully erupting.

_Breathe._

_He's not here anymore, so breathe, damn it, breathe._

_Breathe._

He lowers the windows to let in some fresh air and he finally calms down slightly.

So….

What happens now?

He wants to shower. Despite him taking a shower before dinner, he's never felt so grimy and gross in his life.

But he can't just go home, can he? Will May suspect something?

_Oh, God...May._

He can't tell May, Skip's her friend. She's known him for longer than Peter's been alive.

He doesn't want to tell anyone, in all honesty. He knows it's not his fault, but it's... _embarrassing_.

He could just simply...forget about it. He doesn't have to tell anyone about what he just endured.

But then the teen has a terrifying thought.

_What about when Skip comes back?_

What if Peter has to take him back home again?

He feels a chill go down his spine and he swears that his blood went cold.

 _What if it's worse the next time?_

He involuntarily shivers and decides to head home.

But not to his apartment, his other home.

With Tony.

The tower is only about a ten-minute drive from where he’s at.

He sends May a quick text saying that he’s going to visit Tony before backing out of the parking lot and going in the direction opposite the apartment. He turns up the music as loud as his sensitive ears can take it in the hopes that it would drown out his thoughts...but it doesn’t work.

Peter is mentally kicking himself for not listening to his sixth sense. His sense has never been wrong, so why did he question it tonight? He’s never making that mistake again. 

He can’t shake this feeling, this feeling of... _wrong_ that’s over him. Once he takes that shower, all of that will go away, right?

But he also doesn’t understand: why did Skip do what he did? What possesses a person to just touch someone else like that?

He shivers again and it’s not because he’s cold.

He doesn’t even want to tell Tony what happened, he just...wants to be around someone he trusts. And all that May will be talking about tonight is Skip and he really doesn’t know if he could stomach it.

Peter arrives at the tower and punches in his code to get in the building. He figures that FRIDAY already alerted Tony.

His hero is in the lab tending to some sort of project pertaining to his suit.

Tony doesn't look up when Peter walks in, “Hey Pete, this is a nice surprise. Whatcha up to tonight?”

After a few seconds of no response, Tony looks up from his project.

He sees Peter walking slowly towards the table with his hands in his pockets. The kid looks as pale as a ghost.

“Pete...everything okay, buddy?”

Again, Peter doesn’t say anything. He just realized how ridiculous all of this is; the last thing he wants to do is worry Tony. Was all of this a mistake?

Peter opens his mouth to try and say something. After a few seconds of internal struggle, he finally blurts out, “Can-Can I take a shower?”

Tony lifts an eyebrow in confusion. Of all the questions for his intern to ask, this is one he never expected. Something is definitely up.

“Sure, kid, but what’s wrong with your shower? Is the water heater going all wonky again?”

Peter looks down at the floor in embarrassment. He takes one hand out of his pocket and starts fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. He repeats himself, “Can I p-please take a shower? _Please_?”

Tony walks around the table and goes to stand in front of Peter. His eyebrows shoot up in alarm when the kid unconsciously takes a step back.

Figuring that asking more questions will get him nowhere, Tony responds with, “Of course, kid. You know where everything’s at.”

Peter rushes out of the lab before the mechanic can say anything further.

Well, that was weird...even for him.

Why was the kid so adamant about getting a damn shower? He didn’t _look_ dirty. Did something happen on patrol?

Tony has FRIDAY pull up any recent suit footage, but the records show that Peter hasn’t been out in his suit tonight. 

Could it be the water heater issue? Did their water get cut off? Is Peter embarrassed to say that they’re not able to pay the bill?

Whatever it is, Tony is determined to get to the bottom of it.

-

Tony is sitting on the couch with his StarkPad when Peter returns from his shower. 

The kid’s curls are damp and adorably unruly. He’s clad in some sweats that he keeps for when he stays over at the tower.

Tony's worry grows when he sees that Peter’s eyes are rimmed red.

Like he'd been crying.

Tony thinks about any other possibilities as to why this kid is so upset. Fight with May? Ned? Is that kid, Thunder, or whatever the fuck his name is, bothering him again? He can't figure it out.

The kid walks to Tony and sits on the complete opposite side of the couch.

Peter refuses to look in his mentor’s direction, “Tha-Thank you, Mr. Stark. Thank you so much.”

Tony looks at him in confusion, “No problem kid...it's just a shower, no big deal.”

Peter has become jittery since he re-entered the lab. The shower felt great and all, but he can't quite shake this... _dirty_ feeling off of him.

“Yes, yes it is.”

He knows how weird he's acting, and there's no way that Tony will let this go. But he doesn't know how to say it.

How does someone even begin to talk about something like this?

Tony snaps the kid out of his thoughts, “You're welcome to use it any time, you know that, right?”

Peter shyly nods.

“Okay. Now...you wanna tell me what's up? I already know that it has nothing to do with Spider-Manning.”

Peter grows tense and goosebumps form on his arms. His right knee bobs up and down in nervousness like it has a mind of its own.

“It - It’s nothing. I’m fine, everything’s fine.”

“It amazes me that you have a secret identity when you are actually the _worst_ liar that I’ve ever met.”

Peter suddenly gets up and starts anxiously pacing the floor in front of Tony.

Tony puts his StarkPad aside and sits up to give Peter his full attention, “Kid, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't judge you, okay? I mean, have you seen me? I have no room to talk, whatsoever.”

Peter wrings his fingers through his hair before he finally blurts out, “Nothing even happened!”

It’s true, he thinks. There are people in the world who have gone through worse than he did. He’s stopped people from doing worse whilst on patrols. Compared to that, this is nothing, so why is he freaking out so much about it?

He shouldn’t have come here, he would’ve gotten over it. It’s just touching, it’s not _that_ big of a deal.

Tony’s tone goes gentle, “Pete, you wouldn’t be this worked up and wearing a hole in my floor if nothing actually happened. Wanna try that again?”

“I-I...I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much, I mean - it-it’s over, I’ll be fine.”

A flash of anger filters through Tony, but he doesn’t let it show, “What do you mean you’ll ‘be fine’? Peter, did somebody hurt you tonight?”

Peter stops pacing and his breathing hitches up.

“I-I’m sorry, this is stupid, I’m stupid, I should go -”

Tony gets up and darts in front of Peter before he can race out the door. He holds out a hand and slowly, but comfortingly, puts it on his protege’s shoulder. The whole time, Peter is watching said hand like a hawk.

“Try me. I can guarantee you that whatever you’re feeling right now is not stupid.”

Tony nudges Peter and gets him to sit back on the couch with the mechanic sitting next to him; they’re sitting a little closer together this time. Peter’s focus is on his fidgeting hands that are in his lap.

Unable to hold this in anymore, Peter finally confesses, “It-It happened so fast. I...I didn’t think anything like this would ever happen but...I guess that’s what everyone thinks….”

Tony would never say it out loud, but he is absolutely terrified right now. What the fuck happened? He’s tempted to follow in the kid’s footsteps and start pacing the floor, himself.

The billionaire can’t think of how to respond to that except, “Uh-huh….”

Peter swallows a nervous lump in his throat, “May had an old friend over tonight for dinner. He seemed pretty cool, I guess. May wanted me to drive him home, so I did.”

The teenager takes a deep breath and wraps his hands around his middle in shame, “On...on the drive b-back to his place, he started, uh...acting k-kinda weird-ish.”

Tony notices that Peter’s voice gets shakier the more he talks. He wants to wrap his arms around him in comfort, but he has a feeling that that would be the wrong move. He doesn’t say a word, afraid that the kid would clam up and stop talking if he did.

“T-T-Then he...he, uh...uh….” Peter squeezes his eyes shut briefly. He takes several seconds before he finally blurts it out in a sob, “He t-t-touched me.”

Tony feels a chill go down his spine. 

No...this did not happen to his kid.

Tony doesn’t want to ask, but he has to know for sure, “Where?”

Peter lets out a sniffle - he’s trying his damnedest to keep from crying, “Uh...there.”

Tony sees the kid’s eyes glance to his lap, confirming the hero's suspicions.

So this is why Peter wanted a shower so badly. Tony is so shocked that he can't think straight, “Oh my God.”

Peter's sniffles increase, “I-I was driving, and I tried to fight him off of m-me, but I was driving and I d-didn't wanna crash into anybody and -”

“Shh...Peter, look at me.”

Peter reluctantly looks up at his mentor with watery eyes, arms still wrapped around his middle.

The last thing that Tony wants to do is scare the kid, so he tries to keep at a soft tone, “You don't need to make up any excuses about this, okay? What he did...that is one of the most disgusting things a person could do.”

Tony is furious - murderous even. He's one step away from flying to this sick fuck's house and killing him with one punch. But he can't show any of that emotion in front of Peter. 

“I-I know it's not my fault, but...b-but...it's just so _embarrassing_ , Mr. Stark. I mean...I'm Spider-Man, I should've - I should've fought harder, b-b-but he was using both hands and I had to use one hand to steer and -”

“Exactly my point. He waited until just the right moment to take advantage of you when he knew that you would have a hard time fighting back. There is no way to ever prepare yourself for something like this, not even a superhero. You gotta stop beating yourself up, bud.”

Tony starts to grab the kid's shoulder again but thinks better of it. Instead, he asks, “Peter...can I touch you?”

After a few seconds of contemplation, Peter dives into his mentor's arms. He can no longer hold in his tears, so he finally lets the waterfalls go. He's gripping tightly onto Tony's shirt like he's scared that his hero will disappear if he lets go. 

Tony is using one hand to rub Peter's back, and his other hand gets tangled in the kid's hair. He doesn’t say anything; he just gives quiet shushing sounds and lets his kid cry.

After a few minutes, the crying calms down to sniffles. Peter mumbles into Tony’s shirt, “I-I was so _scared_ , Mis’r St’rk. He just kept t-t-touching me. I t-told him to stop, but he wouldn’t stop...he wouldn’t stop.”

A surge of protectiveness filters through Tony and he squeezes the teen tighter against his chest. He can’t believe that this sweet, innocent kid went through this kind of hell over a span of less than an hour.

Peter continues, “I-I-I didn’t know what he was gonna d-do. I’ve never been so terrified of stopping a car in my life.”

A strike of fear courses through Tony, “He didn’t try anything else, did he?”

Peter shakes his head “no” against his mentor’s chest, “His wife was sitting on the porch, so he wasn't able to.”

The genius lets out a sigh of relief, “Does May know?”

Tony feels Peter tense up at that, “No...I don’t want her to know, please don’t tell her.”

The mechanic closes his eyes in despair, but at least the kid has toned down the stuttering, “Kid, you know you have to tell her. Why don’t you want her to know?”

“Uh...S-Sk-that guy’s her friend. She’s known him for years...she thinks he’s _so_ nice. What if she doesn’t believe me? I’ll be fine, Mr. Stark, people have gone through worse than this. I’ll be just fine.”

Tony notices the slip-up and logs it into his memory, “Oh, buddy.”

The hero gently pulls Peter away from his chest and looks directly at him. Tony’s arm is lightly holding Peter’s bicep and is using his thumb to rub reassuring circles on the crook of the kid’s shoulder, “Now, I don’t know May as well as you do, but there’s one thing I do know: she loves you more than anything in this world. She will always, _always_ take your side. Trust me on this, bud.”

Peter slowly nods and looks down in shame. Tony lifts the kid’s chin back up with his other hand, “None of that, kid, none of that. You have nothing to be ashamed of. And yes, people have been through worse, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a big deal, okay? Because it is, it’s a _huge_ deal, and it’s not okay.”

“I just - I don’t know how to tell her. How do I tell her?”

Peter’s phone rings before Tony can answer. The teen pulls his phone out of his pocket and sees that May is calling. Suddenly panicking, he ignores the call and reaches across Tony to put the phone on the end table that’s beside him.

“I can’t answer it, Mr. Stark. I can’t tell her what happened over the phone.”

“Okay, that’s okay, kid, try to relax.”

May calls Peter a second time, and again, he ignores it. Then she calls Tony.

Tony answers and makes up a cover story by saying that they got into a “project” and Peter wasn’t paying attention to his phone. Tony then asks if the kid can stay over so that they can try and finish said “project.” May is a little annoyed that it’s such short notice, but she reluctantly agrees.

Peter looks at Tony in surprise during the phone conversation. When the mechanic hangs up, the spider-boy curls back into his side and murmurs a soft, “Thank you.”

Tony smiles and wraps his arm around Peter’s back, “Always, kiddo.”

Peter breaks the ice after a few seconds of silence, “How am I gonna tell her, Mr. Stark?”

“Just tell her what you told me.”

“But...I’m a mess.”

The mechanic softly chuckles, “Pete, you’ll be just fine. You’re the strongest person I know.”

Peter’s cheeks redden at the compliment. “Can...can you come with me?”

Tony looks down into the teen’s puppy-dog eyes and his heart fills with warmth, “Kid, you never have to ask.”

-

The next day, the duo go back to the apartment to break the news to May. Peter spent half the night rehearsing what he wants to say, but that’s not making this situation any easier.

Peter hesitates at the apartment door. Tony softly grabs one of his shoulders and whispers, “You got this, bud. I promise that she won’t think any less of you.”

Peter takes a deep breath and opens the door.

May greets them from the kitchen, “Hey, sweetie, how was Tony's?”

“It - It was fun. I, uh, brought him over to visit if that's okay?”

May walks out of the kitchen and is surprised to also see Tony in her apartment. She walks over and gives him a hug, “Hi, Tony, what brings you over to our neck of the woods? Did you two bring the car back?”

Tony hugs her back, “Yeah, Happy followed us with it.” Tony then puts a hand on Peter's shoulder, “Actually, I'm here because Peter wants to talk to you about something.”

Peter immediately tenses up and he puts his hands in his pockets to hide the trembling that has just formed.

“Of course, come on in. Either of you want anything to drink?”

They both politely decline as they make their way over to the couch.

The three of them get settled in with Peter sitting on the middle cushion and the adults on either side of him. Peter scoots a little closer to Tony. That right knee of his starts bobbing up and down again.

May sees how nervous her nephew’s become, “Oh, honey, you know you can tell me anything about your patrols; I’ll always support you.”

Even though it’s nothing like what he’s about to say, Peter feels solace in that statement. The teen’s voice comes out shaky and suddenly, he can’t remember a damn thing that he’s rehearsed, “Uh...uh, s-something happened…. It’s ab-b-bout Sk -”

A knock at the door interrupts Peter’s confession.

May is suddenly excited, “Oh my God, they’re here.”

Both heroes look up in confusion. Tony’s pissed because he doesn’t know if Peter will have the confidence to speak up again.

Peter sees May open the door and a strike of horror flows through him at who’s on the other side.

_No…not this soon…._

Peter’s _attacker_ walks through the door with a shit-eating grin on his face and he’s accompanied by a woman who the spiderling now recognizes as his wife.

Peter hears how happy May sounds talking to them and his stomach gurgles. The trembling gets worse and he wraps his arms around his middle once again.

Tony sees how nervous the kid’s gotten so he puts his arm around the spiderling’s shoulders. Peter can’t help but lean into him.

The web-slinger is doing his best to look calm as May brings the couple over to introduce them, “Tony, this is an old friend of mine, Skip, and this is his wife, Tiffany. Tiffany, this is my nephew, Peter. You guys, of course, know Tony Stark.”

Skip holds out his hand, expecting Tony to shake it, but the hero just stares at it instead.

Tony flashes back to Peter’s slip-up during the previous night’s reveal:

_"Uh...S-Sk-that guy’s her friend. She’s known him for years…"_

There’s not a doubt in Tony’s mind that this is the sicko who molested his kid.

Tony stands up - making sure he’s in front of Peter - and continues to stare at Skip, “I don’t like shaking hands with people I don’t know. Just...not my thing, really.”

Skip brings his hand down in embarrassment, “Oh, no worries, man. I just can’t believe that I’m in the same room as _the_ Tony Stark.”

The mechanic greets Tiffany before responding with, “Yeah, well, don’t get used to it.”

Tony wants to say something; he really wants to say something, but he knows he can’t do it. Peter has to be the one to do it.

After Tiffany greets the teenager, she goes to join May in the kitchen. Skip turns to Peter, “Hey, Einstein, long time, no see, huh?”

Afraid to talk, Peter just nods his head. His gaze doesn’t stray from the coffee table in front of him. 

If Tony had food in his stomach, he would’ve thrown it up at this point. He sees the way that Skip is looking at the kid. Like last night’s drive was a fond memory for him, but it was a long, horrible nightmare for Peter.

Skip then walks into the kitchen, as well, and Tony sees that he doesn’t stop staring at Peter. The genius finds himself clenching and unclenching his fists repeatedly.

Tony sits back on the couch and protectively wraps his arm around his kid. He talks in a low enough voice that only Peter can hear him, “Peter, I want you to tell me right now: is that guy in the kitchen the one that molested you?”

Peter flinches at the word and nods his head, “Y-Yes.”

Tony closes his eyes briefly and collects himself, “Okay...we don’t have to do this right now. Okay? We can do this another time. You don’t have to stay here with him. You can come back to the tower with me; I’ll make up an excuse to get us outta here. Do you want to do that?”

Peter looks up at his mentor with hopeful eyes, “ _Please_?”

“Okay, let’s go.”

They were in the process of getting up when the other three people come back into the living room. May is carrying a tray of snacks and puts it on the coffee table in front of Peter. Skip and Tiffany follow with drinks.

May sits in the same spot on the couch that she was at earlier and the couple sit in chairs on either side of the couch. 

With Peter in Skip’s line of sight.

After they get settled, Tony starts to get up, “Well, I think my intern and I are gonna go head back to the lab; there’s a lot of projects that we wanna work on. C’mon, kid.”

May looks at Tony in surprise, “But Tony, you just got here. C’mon, those projects can wait.”

“May -”

“I insist, Tony, please. You’re always welcome here.”

Tony lets out a deep sigh. There really is no winning with her, is there?

“Okay, well, just a little bit, then. I just didn’t wanna impose.”

Peter looks up at Tony in fear as he sits back down on the couch. The mechanic wraps his arm back around the kid’s shoulders to try and get him to relax. 

May leans over Peter and pats Tony’s knee, “You’re never imposing.”

May and the two guests carry on and catch up much like the night before while the father-son duo keep to themselves. Tony will occasionally answer a question if it’s directed at him. The genius takes advantage of the kid’s enhanced hearing and whispers words of reassurance to him.

“I’m not gonna let him hurt you, I promise. I _am_ Iron Man, after all.”

Peter cracks a small smile at that and scoots even closer to his mentor, to the point where said mentor is squished between the kid and the arm of the couch. If it makes him feel safe, Tony doesn’t mind a bit.

Peter doesn’t say a single word the whole time. 

At one point he locks eyes with Skip. The pervert winks at him and Peter quickly brings his knees up to his chest and squishes himself _even more_ into Tony.

May notices that Peter hasn’t talked or even eaten anything, but she doesn’t question it. She knows how anxious her nephew gets around people he doesn’t know very well and the last thing she wants to do is embarrass him. He can always eat after the guests leave.

After visiting a while longer, the couple get up and are about to leave. Skip goes up to Peter, “Y’know, I would like to take a look at those projects sometime, Einstein. Maybe we could make our own robot or something, huh?"

A flash of pure rage flows through Peter. He can hear May and Tiffany gush about how “good of an idea” that is, but they’re just murmurs to him. He speaks in a small voice, “Don’t call me that.”

Everyone turns to Peter in surprise; this the first time he’s really talked since the couple arrived. 

May is confused, “What was that, sweetie?”

Peter swallows a lump in his throat, “I-I said...don’t call me that...I hate that name.”

The more he thinks about it, the angrier he gets. Here Skip is, cool as a fucking cucumber, and Peter is suffering in silence. Why does this sicko still get to be normal? Why is Peter the one dealing with this and he didn’t even do anything wrong? 

Skip interjects, “Um, okay, fine, I’ll stop, but you didn’t seem to mind it last night.”

Peter quickly gets off the couch and stands in front of Skip, but not too close. Tony stands up next to him.

Peter feels his blood boiling, “I said: I. Hate. That. Name.”

May is both angry and embarrassed at her nephew’s behavior, “Peter Benjamin Parker, what the hell has gotten into you?”

Tony cuts in, not taking his eyes off the teenager, “No, no, May, let him finish.”

Peter’s confidence flounders a bit and he looks down at the floor. But anger wins out and he keeps on, “I...I _hate_ that name, that a-and ‘Petey,’ b-b-because that’s what he c-called me while he was...while he was….” 

Peter grabs onto Tony’s arm when he says the next line, “While he was...t-t-touching me.”

There are a few moments of silence while everyone processes this information. One could cut the tension in that room with a chainsaw.

Tony's gaze stays locked on Peter and his chest is filled with so much pride for this kid.

May is the first to speak up, and her tone is of disbelief and shock, “What?”

Skip looks flustered, like he’s trying to do damage control, “What the fuck? I would never do a thing like that.” He turns to his wife, who’s looking equally shocked, “Baby, I swear. Why would I ever do something like that?”

Tiffany is scrambling, herself, “Ther-There must be some mistake….”

Peter continues, once he starts, there’s no stopping him, “He t-touched me ‘d-d-d-down there.’ I d-drove him home and-and he did it the...the whole way there. He called me ‘Einstein’ and ‘Petey’ the whole. Freakin’. Time.”

Peter’s breathing hitches up as his mind takes him back to last night. He tightens his grip on Tony’s arm to keep himself grounded.

May covers her mouth in shock. This was what Peter was planning to tell her before they arrived. Her shock transforms into hatred and she looks at Skip with a sick expression on her face, “You molested my kid?”

Skip’s expression has turned to anger as well, but for different reasons, “He’s obviously making this up, May! All he’s doing is begging for attention.”

“Why would my kid ever say something as sick as this if it wasn’t true?”

Tiffany walks up to her husband, “Did you do it? Tell me right now, did I marry a child molester?”

Skip starts floundering and tries to walk away from the confrontation, but a certain billionaire superhero stands in his way.

Tony’s voice was scary calm, “I wouldn’t lie if I were you. I _am_ Iron Man, after all.”

Tony has the gauntlet form around his right hand, ready to knock Skip out with a single punch if necessary...or if he just felt like it.

Skip’s expression goes cold. He knows he’s losing the battle. Then he locks eyes with a scared but determined Peter, “You’re jailbait, that’s what you are. You were all _over_ me, and then what happened? Didya get scared? Did you go crying to daddy? Huh?”

Peter snaps right back, “I didn’t want _any_ of it! I couldn’t fight back because I was _driving_!”

The pervert starts to charge at Peter, but Tony quickly steps in front of his kid and holds up the gauntlet to Skip, “Take one more step, I fucking dare you.”

Tony then talks into his watch and has FRIDAY call the police.

May is in tears at this point. She goes to Peter and wraps her arms around him. Peter reciprocates and leans into the comfort. 

Tiffany is standing off to the side in tears at what’s been uncovered.

May has never felt so guilty about anything in her life. She kisses her nephew’s temple and whispers into his ear, “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry, oh my God, I’m so sorry.”

Tears start forming in Peter's eyes, as well, “It’s not your fault, May. None of us knew he would do something like this.”

“I still feel awful.”

“Please don’t. You’re amazing, May, please don’t.”

Tony is standing off to the side to both focus on Skip and to give Peter and May a few minutes to themselves.

Skip keeps rambling and trying to somehow salvage all of this, but it just falls on deaf ears.

The police arrive and Tony explains the situation. The police read Skip his rights before taking him away. Tiffany hesitantly goes with them, a part of her still holding onto some hope that this is all just a huge misunderstanding. She’ll be in for a rude awakening.

The door closes and it’s just the three of them again.

May pulls away from the embrace, but doesn’t let go of her kid, “Are you okay? Did anything else happen?” May starts looking up and down at Peter to make sure he’s not hurt.

The spiderling can’t help but smile at the overprotectiveness, “No, no, I promise, everything I said is all that happened.”

May rubs her hands up and down Peter’s biceps in comfort, “I’m so proud of you, baby. Do you need anything, can I get you anythi -”

“I’m fine, May, I promise...well, I _will_ be fine.”

May squeezes his biceps before letting go. She walks over to Tony and gives him a hug, “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

Tony reciprocates the hug, “When it’s about the kid, you never need to thank me.”

Peter’s cheeks flush in embarrassment, but it’s the good kind of embarrassment.

May insists on Tony staying for dinner and, of course, Tony can’t say no. She walks into another room to give the other two some time to themselves.

The two heroes sit back down on the couch. Tony gently grabs onto Peter’s shoulder with a smile a mile wide, “Do you have any idea how proud I am of you?”

Peter’s cheeks flush even more - if that’s possible - at that sentiment, “Mr. Staaaaark….”

“Don’t ‘Mr. Stark’ me, that was fantastic; _you_ were fantastic.”

“I...I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Tony’s eyes go soft, “Yeah, you could’ve, trust me. I was just here for brawn, everything else was all you, buddy.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark. For everything.”

Peter dives into his hero’s arms before Tony could respond.

Tony assumes the same position that they use for every hug: one hand wrapped around the kid’s back, and the other in his soft curls.

“Anytime, kid, don’t ever mention it. You’ll be just fine, Peter, you’re gonna be just fine.”

“I know I’ll be. I got you, remember?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Scream at me on Tumblr! @baloobird


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